<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>I think I know the feeling by SnappleSnapSnake</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26248228">I think I know the feeling</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnappleSnapSnake/pseuds/SnappleSnapSnake'>SnappleSnapSnake</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Balcony Scene, F/M, Gen, Introspection, Late Night Conversations, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Short Chapters, This whole fic is literally just balcony scenes, angsty i guess, no update schedule</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:15:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26248228</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnappleSnapSnake/pseuds/SnappleSnapSnake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Chat Noir had visited her balcony, asking for pastries in the middle of the night, Marinette had been a little weirded out. And maybe a bit (a lot) terrified that her identity had been compromised. So, doing what any normal person would do, she gave him what he asked for (on the house, of course, despite how much the cat had protested) and they chatted a bit before she bid him goodbye.</p><p>In her defense, he looked pretty hungry- and he happened to have a classic Chat Noir charm that just made time pass by faster. He also had perfected sad kitty eyes so, really, her fate had been sealed from the beginning.<br/>---<br/>(Basically, a complied collection of conversations on Marinette's balcony, just her and Chat Noir.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Curiosity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I constantly complain to myself about marichat being full of repeated tropes, so instead of putting effort into a fic that breaks those tropes I'm just going to write balcony scenes. Yeah.</p><p>Anyways, this was inspired by finding out that 'balcony scene' is an official tag.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The first time Chat Noir had visited her balcony, asking for pastries in the middle of the night, Marinette had been a little weirded out. And maybe a bit (a lot) terrified that her identity had been compromised. So, doing what any normal person would do, she gave him what he asked for (on the house, of course, despite how much the cat had protested) and they chatted a bit before she bid him goodbye.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In her defense, he looked pretty hungry- and he happened to have a classic Chat Noir charm that just made time pass by faster. He also had perfected sad kitty eyes so, really, her fate had been sealed from the beginning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But, she really hadn’t expected for him to come back. Again and again and again. He kept interrupting her homework time- and, honestly, it upset her how she couldn’t bring herself to send him away. He was like a sad alley cat. Lost, alone, and full of bravado that melted as soon as he has a croissant in his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, I’m starting to think that your visits are just to leech pastries off of me.” She said once, after Chat had inhaled half of the plate of cookies she’d laid out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He gave her a mock cock of his eyebrow, saying, “Was there ever a doubt that that was what I was doing?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette huffed, “Why don’t you just go to the bakery during normal hours? When you can pay for your food.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve offered to pay you before!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t, in my right mind, charge a superhero for baked treats. It makes me feel bad. Especially when you’re dressed as a cat. It just has some kind of an effect.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But when I’m a civilian it’s okay to leech off of my money?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Marinette tugged at his arm, turning her eyes to look at Chat rather than her balcony’s view, only to notice that he was already looking at her (maybe for the whole conversation), “You’re the leach here! Businesses are completely different.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat sniffed in mock irritation, turning his head and breaking the odd staring match they were having, “I like it here. The balcony has a nice atmosphere. And only the best for me, am I right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette just hummed, staring at the side of his head, “I don’t know, I just thought that maybe you’d prefer eating delicious pastries at your house instead of on a cold balcony with a random stranger.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not a random stranger!” He protested, still not looking at her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? Am I not?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re a princess! You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Marinette</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” He said her name like it meant something, like it was heavier than she had always assumed it was, “You’re not a stranger- just someone nice to talk to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And she looked at how his eyes were stuck looking somewhere other than where she stood, watched how the end of his tail curled up in compassion, how his ears turned with hope (hope that she didn’t understand). Marinette what it would feel like to be Chat Noir, cold and desperate to not be left alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was worried, of course. People should prefer to be at home, it was the way people tended to work. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span> to want to be with your family rather than strangers or close acquaintances or even friends. So, yeah, Marinette was a bit worried about the desperate tone his voice seemed to tremble with.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But she didn’t ask. Marinette just patted his head lightly, causing him to finally look back at her, eyes glimmering with as much weight as he’d said her name. And she told him, “Well, you’re welcome here anytime, kitty. I would love the company.” She watched him grin at that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette didn’t ask as she watched him finish all the cookies, bowing to her in such a Chat Noir way that it made her grin. She didn’t ask him anything, even when he left, spouting goodbyes with enthusiasm that she returned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(curiosity killed the cat, after all. and whether or not it got brought back in the end, marinette knew that she couldn’t deal with that kind of guilt)</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Do not expect such a quick update from me again- seriously.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You know, for such a smitten kitten, I would’ve thought that you would mention Ladybug more often.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Like in every other sentence?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That would just be annoying.” She rolled her eyes, noticing how Chat’s tail seemed to curve oddly at the sound of her walking towards him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He turned around and grinned, “I am quite annoying…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She just huffed in response.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But,” Chat shrugged, “I guess I could gush about my Lady all I wanted, but it’s weird… gushing. Like she’s a distant figure. I don’t want to think about her like that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Afraid that she is distant?” Marinette teased.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, LB does love me- even if it isn’t romantic. She would never be distant from me. Secretive? Unfortunately, sometimes- but she’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>distant</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He spat the word out like it was something vile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She seems distant.” Marinette says, thinking of all the times she’s turned her back on a rose or a (painfully) sincere declaration of love, “Maybe your crush is blinding you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m an independent cat, thank you very much. My thinking doesn’t get clouded.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sure</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My thinking’s a little messy when it comes to LB. She’s a friend but I also love her. But she doesn’t love me like that, and that’s okay. I just can’t let go though. She’s too good to just… let go. Like she’s some fleeting schoolboy crush.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He paused, leaving them both to ponder in the silence of the night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Breaking it, Marinette asked (because the spiel sounded familiar, parallel to something that she had once said many times over. because she had to know), “Do you even love her?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I love her!” Chat’s tail lashes behind him, as he was seemingly offended by her question.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But there’s a difference between idealization and love. You have to ask yourself ‘do I want to date this person because I love them or because they seem like the kind of person I would like to date’.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat’s eyes widened and he stuttered, “I-I don’t…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I don’t know the difference either.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” He leaned against the balcony railing, forcing out an air of nonchalance, “You seem so wise though. Tell me your secrets, ‘o you great love expert, ‘o all knowing princess!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette snorted, kicking his ankle (to which he let out a mock yelp), “I have no idea what I’m talking about right now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat wagged his finger at her, watching as she crossed her arms, unamused, “Ah ah ah, don’t tell me you’re one of those people that don’t take their own advice? Practice what you preach.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That wasn’t advice, more like a…” she waved her hand absent-mindedly, “spiel that made zero sense.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I think it was good. Enlightening, even. I just don’t know what to do with it. I… I really do love Ladybug.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette narrows her eyes at him and leans in just a little, “But do you really? Or do you just see a kind and confident person and think ‘I would like to love her’?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat crossed his arms, eyes moving away from looking at her face, “What’s the difference?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you speak from experience?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her teasing grin soured just a bit at the question, “Plenty. It was just a crush though- one that got a bit too out of hand. I’m… I’m over it now. I just still don’t know how I feel about it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat’s voice sounded soft as he said, “It’s always hard to tell how you feel.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, look at us,” Marinette walked past Chat Noir and up to her balcony’s railing, watching the empty, darkened street below. She chuckled, “fighting the real battles.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chat Noir turned his head to look at her. Marinette didn’t look up (though she could feel his gaze burn the side of her head). Maybe if she looked up, she would find something meaningful in his gaze. A way to untangle all the messy knots of her heart that she couldn’t afford to find.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t scared for herself (she was ladybug, and ladybug was better than that), she was scared for the world. Sometimes, it was best to let feelings stay unexplored. Known, but not understood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Was it fear, sadness, or relief that she had felt when she had decided to stop pursuing Adrien? Did it matter? Maybe- maybe in another world it would have mattered. But it was different, it was always different when it came to her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking into Chat’s eyes would show her something meaningful, she knew. It would show her something that she didn’t want to see. So she didn’t look up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette watched the empty street below, listening to the happy humming of Chat Noir as he tapped something upbeat on the railing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was him who broke the silence, “I think,” he paused, “I think that there are so many different ways to fall in love with someone, no matter how wrong the original path may have been. Maybe I loved Ladybug for all the wrong reasons at first, but now… but now I love her for a hundred more meaningful reasons.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She thought of rain and of a bright, soulful smile that showed nothing but kindness. Of brushing fingers and a borrowed umbrella.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Long after Chat Noir leaves she asks herself, “But can the opposite happen?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, this got introspective, didn't it? This whole fic was supposed to be for cute banter but this ended up being so much more angsty than I expected.</p>
<p>Anyways, I have officially decided the vague timeline- this is now post Miracle Queen.</p>
<p>Also, I hope that I've established that this story is going to be filled with so much repression, from both parties. They're so goddamn prideful that it takes over their minds until they just ignore what they're feeling because 'I'm better than this'. It's so frustrating to write, but I'm worryingly good at writing repression.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, so, I don't actually know what's going to happen with this? Chapters I going to be short, and I don't actually know if I'm cheating people with that marichat tag or not. So far, it seems that I'm going to write this pretty platonicly, but things may change.</p><p>Also, I am very inconsistent with my writing, I'm trying to hyperfixtate on multiple fandoms right now and ml is not the priority. Nor is this the priority fic. This came out of nowhere.</p><p>So far, two more chapters are planned. I don't know what will happen next, not gonna lie.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>